G.R.A.P.E.S.: Geography, Religion, Achievements, Politics, Economy and Social Life.
This storyboard explains the economy and jobs in ancient Mesopotamia.
Storyboard Text
AGRICULTURE
ARTISANS AND CRAFTSMEN
SCRIBES
PRIESTS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Main crops in ancient Mesopotamia werebarleyand wheat. They also grew peas, beans, lentils, cucumbers, leeks, lettuces, garlic, grapes, apples, melons, and figs. They used Cuneiform to keep records. Animals like donkeys helped along with the first plow!
Potters, sculptors, jewelers, metal-smiths, carpenters, and stone masons crafted incredible works of art that were used for music, decoration, to honor kings, gods, goddesses, and depict important events and daily life.
Scribes were highly respected and were important record keepers as well as poets, writers, and teachers. The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered the earliest surviving work of literature and describes the life and adventures of the demigod Sumerian King of Uruk.
MERCHANTS
Priests were powerful and were said to communicate with the gods and Mesopotamians believed that the gods controlled everything. Government officials were from the upper class or noble families.
FISHING AND TRADE
MESOPOTAMIAN ECONOMY
ENSLAVED PEOPLE
Merchants traded food, clothing, jewelry, wine, and other goods between cities using a barter system. For example, a farmer might trade goats or fruit in exchange for pottery or furniture. The exchanges were official and were often signed using the impression of a cylinder seal in clay.
Mesopotamia's central location with sea routes from the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf, as well as the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, allowed for ample trade and fishing.
Enslaved people did much of the labor in ancient Mesopotamia to build the massive city-states. They were often prisoners of war and were forced to live under brutal conditions. They had no rights.